WHO launches mRNA vaccine technology hub in Cape Town

The idea for the facility was established by the WHO during the COVID-19 pandemic to increase access to life-saving medication in underserved countries. To this end, Cape Town-based biotechnology company Afrigen Biologics has been selected for a pilot project that will focus on providing the knowledge and licences to make COVID-19 vaccines to low- and middle-income countries .

Minister of Higher Education and Science Blade Nzimande says the work of the mRNA Technology Transfer Hub extends beyond just COVID-19. ‘The capabilities we are building are looking to empower us to deal with other future pandemics whose vaccines could use the same mRNA technology platform. It is a vision that has set its eyes on diseases that are prevalent in our environments such as Malaria, Tuberculosis and HIV and AIDS.

‘The entire Afrigen team are thrilled to reach this important milestone with the completion of the mRNA technology platform. This platform is housed within the end-to-end mRNA vaccine development and production facility where the mRNA Hub Covid 19 vaccine candidate AfriVac 2121 is currently in scale-up phase,’ says Professor Petro Terblanche, executive director of Afrigen.

In the meantime, Afrigen has established a COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing process at laboratory scale, and is building on the model in a bid to manufacture vaccine batches to be used in phase one and two clinical trials. The company will also continue to provide training and technology transfers to network partners.

Source: News Formal (newsformal.com)

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